best wrinkle paint for street hemi valve covers

Which one is it

TIA

I've used both VHT & Eastwood with xlnt results.
Main thing is to apply heat & a fair amount of the paint.
For bare metal, I first lay down some semi-flat black.
Heat gun works very well.

Thanks,

While I have them off . I would like to repaint them . As I think the finish is way to smooth ( going thru the valves and cking valve stem seals )

Powder coat them Bill, I have a large oven in my shop, I can do them for you here.

Bill,
I agree with Mike, Powder coat them. They come out real nice that way.
Bob

Thanks gents.

I don't want to keep the car down that long.

I assure you I WILL have it opened back up. maybe as soon as next year for a piston swap / lower compression / repair an oil consumption issue in its future

I will re-look into powder coating them at that time

For now, I will repaint them and put them back on this week

I used to like the coarse finish for black wrinkle. Until you have to clean it. Then it's not so attractive.

Harley used to have a wrinkle that worked real well, too. May have been made by VHT too. Who knows. I have used the Harley and the VHT. Both worked fine. The hair dryer or heat gun is a good suggestion. That way you can get as much wrinkle as you want just by adding more heat.

I have VHT on mine now. When I get the chance, I think I will look into the powder coat. The rattle can wrinkle looks okay, but it just too soft. I have pulled some flat spots in the wrinkle around the oil filler with my fingernails.

I did my Hemi VCs 35 years ago, never a problem to clean (wasn't a leaker), still looked fresh in 2017 when I sold the car.
Silver Seal in MI had silicone valve seals in Hemi size, used them on mine and
I think I still have some here if you need the info (bought a box of 'em).

I recall hearing the Harley wrinkle paint was good but don't recall ever using it.

Thanks all.
Got them painted today.
they look tons better.

Also did a leak down test . 7 are between 12-15 % leak
cyl #2 is 18-19% leak.

compression ck netted all in the 200-225 range..
This is with a dead cold engine

What did you use? I coarse wrinkle finished a pair of small block covers years ago and once oil/dirt got down in the valleys of the finish, I never could get it all out. The covers always had a dungy look to them. I went for a smoother finish with later parts and cleaning was much easier.

Believe it or not, tire bleach does a super job of cleaning them. You should dilute it a good amount to prevent splotching. Then use some water based silicone to keep new dirt from sticking as well.

We use tire bleach to clean the engines on late model cars. Does a real good job.

6Pak - a couple times over the years, wax & grease remover; but usually just a wipe down with a damp rag.
Simple green or just water on the rag.

For a laugh, I also wrinkled the air cleaner housing & M/T valve covers on my old restored K10.
That thing's kind of a leaker - typical SBC - and I just Simple Green the thing.

The old Underwood typewriter paint matched perfect, just had to spray a light coat of black over it

Running a shop or house vac with a brush tip is one way to remove dust buildup from wrinkle paint on air cleaners and valve covers. Careful to not drag the vaccume hose on you car's paint job if the parts are on the engine when you do it.

Forget about using a can, then worry about the paint thickness , and about the runs (that you will get), and using an oven, and hope for the best! Do like I did and have them powder coated with a finish that is exactly like the original and is much more resistant to scratches and to anything you do to it by handling or by accident. More expensive but definitely worth if you want to do it right the first time. And, believe me, you will have to repaint them!

Nothing looks better than a Joe Dirt Hemi valve cover. Road (raced) hard and put away wet.